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Monday, November 30, 2015

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS) –
Yesterday afternoon the Pope met with the Evangelical Communities of
the Central African Republic in the Evangelical Theological Faculty
of Bangui (FATEB), instituted by the “Association des Evangeliques
en Afrique” (AEA) in 1974 to respond to the needs of this Church in
the African continent and where over 650 leaders have completed their
preparation, going on to serve in the churches and evangelical
institutions of 21 African countries.

Francis was received by the dean of the
Faculty and by three members of the “interreligious Platform”
which has supported the process of national peacemaking: the
Archbishop of Bangui, Dieudonne Nzapalainga, C.S.Sp.the president of
the “Alliance des Eglises Evangeliques Centrafricaines” (AEC) and
the Imam of Bangui.

“We are all here in the service of
the risen Lord Who assembles us today; and, by virtue of the common
baptism we have received, we are sent to proclaim the joy of the
Gospel to men and women of this beloved country of Central Africa”,
began the Pope, following greetings from the dean of the FATEB and
the president of the AEC.

“For all too long, your people have
experienced troubles and violence, resulting in great suffering. This
makes the proclamation of the Gospel all the more necessary and
urgent. For it is Christ’s own flesh which suffers in his dearest
sons and daughters: the poorest of his people, the infirm, the
elderly, the abandoned, children without parents or left to
themselves without guidance and education. There are also those who
have been scarred in soul or body by hatred and violence, those whom
war has deprived of everything: work, home and loved ones”.

“God makes no distinctions between
those who suffer. I have often called this the ecumenism of blood.
All our communities suffer indiscriminately as a result of injustice
and the blind hatred unleashed by the devil. Here I wish to express
my closeness and solidarity to Pastor Nicholas, whose home was
recently ransacked and set on fire, as was the meeting-place of his
community. In these difficult circumstances, the Lord keeps asking us
to demonstrate to everyone His tenderness, compassion and mercy. This
shared suffering and shared mission are a providential opportunity
for us to advance together on the path of unity; they are also an
indispensable spiritual aid. How could the Father refuse the grace of
unity, albeit still imperfect, to His children who suffer together
and, in different situations, join in serving their brothers and
sisters?”

Francis reiterated that the lack of
unity among Christians is a scandal, above all because it is
“contrary to God’s will. It is also a scandal when we consider
the hatred and violence which are tearing humanity apart, and the
many forms of opposition which the Gospel of Christ encounters. I
appreciate the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation existing
between the Christians of your country, and I encourage you to
continue on this path of common service in charity. It is a witness
to Christ which builds up unity”.

He concluded by expressing his wish
that, with a view to achieving the hoped-for full communion, that
those present, “with increasing intensity and courage, …
perseverance and charity, a commitment to prayer and common
reflection”, seek to achieve greater “mutual understanding, trust
and friendship. I assure you of my prayerful support along the path
of fraternal charity, reconciliation and mercy, a path which is long,
yet full of joy and hope”.

“I ask the Lord Jesus to bless all of
you, to bless your communities, and also to bless our Church. And I
ask you to pray for me. Thank you”.

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS)
“Today Bangui becomes the spiritual capital of the world. The Holy
Year of Mercy comes in advance to this land. A land that has suffered
for many years as a result of war, hatred, misunderstanding, and the
lack of peace. But in this suffering land there are also all the
countries that are experiencing the Cross of war”, said Pope
Francis yesterday afternoon in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Immaculate Conception of Bangui, before opening the Holy Door and
thus beginning the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Bangui thus becomes, he continued, the
spiritual capital of prayer for the Father's mercy. We all ask for
peace, mercy, reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. For Bangui, and
for all the Central African Republic, for all the world, for
countries that suffer war, we ask for peace. Let us all ask together
for love and peace!”, he exclaimed, adding in the Sango language of
the Central African Republic, “Doye Siriri! Love and peace!”.

With this prayer he began the Holy Year
following the rite for the opening of the Holy Door. “Opne the
doors of justice; this is the door of the Lord; I enter Your House,
Lord”, said Francis before entering first, alone, into the
cathedral where he was awaited by the priests, men and women
religious, and seminarians of the Central African Republic to
participate in the Holy Mass. In his homily, the Pope reiterated that
all, without exception, share in the “God’s grace, the alms of
peace”, and he made an fresh appeal to those who “make unjust
use” of weapons: “Lay down these instruments of death. Arm
yourselves instead with righteousness, with love and mercy, the
authentic guarantors of peace”.

The following is the full text of the
homily pronounced by the Holy Father:

“On this first Sunday of Advent, the
liturgical season of joyful expectation of the Saviour and a symbol
of Christian hope, God has brought me here among you, in this land,
while the universal Church is preparing for the opening of the
Jubilee Year of Mercy, which we inaugurated here today. I am
especially pleased that my pastoral visit coincides with the opening
of this Jubilee Year in your country. From this cathedral I reach
out, in mind and heart, and with great affection, to all the priests,
consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers of the nation, who
are spiritually united with us at this moment. Through you, I would
greet all the people of the Central African Republic: the sick, the
elderly, those who have experienced life’s pains. Some of them are
perhaps despairing and listless, asking only for alms, the alms of
bread, the alms of justice, the alms of attention and goodness. All
of us are looking for God’s grace, for the alms of peace.

“But like the Apostles Peter and John
on their way to the Temple, who had neither gold nor silver to give
to the paralytic in need, I have come to offer God’s strength and
power; for these bring us healing, set us on our feet and enable us
to embark on a new life, to 'go across to the other side'.

“Jesus does not make us cross to the
other side alone; instead, He asks us to make the crossing with Him,
as each of us responds to his or her own specific vocation. We need
to realise that making this crossing can only be done with Him, by
freeing ourselves of divisive notions of family and blood in order to
build a Church which is God’s family, open to everyone, concerned
for those most in need. This presupposes closeness to our brothers
and sisters; it implies a spirit of communion. It is not primarily a
question of financial means; it is enough just to share in the life
of God’s people, in accounting for the hope which is in us, in
testifying to the infinite mercy of God who, as the Responsorial
Psalm of this Sunday’s liturgy makes clear, is 'good [and]
instructs sinners in the way'. Jesus teaches us that our heavenly
Father 'makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good'. Having
experienced forgiveness ourselves, we must forgive others in turn.
This is our fundamental vocation: 'You, therefore, must be perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect'.

“One of the essential characteristics
of this vocation to perfection is the love of our enemies, which
protects us from the temptation to seek revenge and from the spiral
of endless retaliation. Jesus placed special emphasis on this aspect
of the Christian testimony. Those who evangelise must therefore be
first and foremost practitioners of forgiveness, specialists in
reconciliation, experts in mercy. This is how we can help our
brothers and sisters to 'cross to the other side' – by showing them
the secret of our strength, our hope, and our joy, all of which have
their source in God, for they are grounded in the certainty that He
is in the boat with us. As He did with the apostles at the
multiplication of the loaves, so too the Lord entrusts His gifts to
us, so that we can go out and distribute them everywhere, proclaiming
His reassuring words: 'Behold, the days are coming when I will fulfil
the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah'.

“In the readings of this Sunday’s
liturgy, we can see different aspects of this salvation proclaimed by
God; they appear as signposts to guide us on our mission. First of
all, the happiness promised by God is presented as justice. Advent is
a time when we strive to open our hearts to receive the Saviour, Who
alone is just and the sole Judge able to give to each his or her due.
Here as elsewhere, countless men and women thirst for respect, for
justice, for equality, yet see no positive signs on the horizon.
These are the ones to whom he comes to bring the gift of his justice.
He comes to enrich our personal and collective histories, our dashed
hopes and our sterile yearnings. And He sends us to proclaim,
especially to those oppressed by the powerful of this world or
weighed down by the burden of their sins, that 'Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it
shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness’. Yes, God is
righteousness; God is justice. This, then, is why we Christians are
called in the world to work for a peace founded on justice.

“The salvation of God which we await
is also flavoured with love. In preparing for the mystery of
Christmas, we relive the pilgrimage which prepared God’s people to
receive the Son, who came to reveal that God is not only
righteousness, but also and above all love. In every place, even and
especially in those places where violence, hatred, injustice and
persecution hold sway, Christians are called to give witness to this
God Who is love. In encouraging the priests, consecrated men and
women, and committed laity who, in this country live, at times
heroically, the Christian virtues, I realise that the distance
between this demanding ideal and our Christian witness is at times
great. For this reason I echo the prayer of St. Paul: 'Brothers and
sisters, may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one
another and to all men and women'. Thus what the pagans said of the
early Christians will always remain before us like a beacon: 'See how
they love one another, how they truly love one another'.

“Finally, the salvation proclaimed by
God has an invincible power which will make it ultimately prevail.
After announcing to His disciples the terrible signs that will
precede His coming, Jesus concludes: 'When these things begin to take
place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is
drawing near'. If St. Paul can speak of a love which 'grows and
overflows', it is because Christian witness reflects that
irresistible power spoken of in the Gospel. It is amid unprecedented
devastation that Jesus wishes to show His great power, His
incomparable glory and the power of that love which stops at nothing,
even before the falling of the heavens, the conflagration of the
world or the tumult of the seas. God is stronger, more powerful, than
all else. This conviction gives to the believer serenity, courage and
the strength to persevere in good amid the greatest hardships. Even
when the powers of Hell are unleashed, Christians must rise to the
summons, their heads held high, and be ready to brave blows in this
battle over which God will have the last word. And that word will be
one of love and peace!

“To all those who make unjust use of
the weapons of this world, I make this appeal: lay down these
instruments of death! Arm yourselves instead with righteousness, with
love and mercy, the authentic guarantors of peace. As followers of
Christ, dear priests, religious and lay pastoral workers, here in
this country, with its suggestive name, situated in the heart of
Africa and called to discover the Lord as the true centre of all that
is good, your vocation is to incarnate the very heart of God in the
midst of your fellow citizens. May the Lord deign to 'strengthen your
hearts in holiness, that you may be blameless before our God and
Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints'.
Reconciliation, forgiveness, love and peace! Amen”.

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS) –
After celebrating Holy Mass, the Pope left the Cathedral of Bangui to
greet the young people who awaited him outside the Cathedral for a
night-long prayer vigil. Francis addressed some extemporaneous
remarks to them, setting aside the discourse he had prepared, which
is reproduced at the end of this article.

Beforehand one of the young people had
commented that their symbol was the banana tree on account of its
resistance, referring also the many difficulties they encounter in
this period of war and division.

“The banana tree is a symbol of
life”, said Francis. “It always grows, it always reproduces, it
always bears nourishing fruit. The banana tree is also resistant. I
think that this clearly shows the way for you in this difficult
moment of war, hatred and division: the path of resistance”.

“Your friend said that some of you
want to go away from here. Fleeing from the challenges of life is
never a solution! It is necessary to resist, to have the courage to
resist, to struggle for good! Those who flee do not have the courage
to give life. The banana tree gives life and continues to reproduce
and give more life as it resists, it remains, it stays there. Some of
you will ask me, 'But Father, what can we do? How can we resist?'. I
will tell you two or three things that may perhaps be useful for you,
to resist”.

“First of all, prayer. Prayer is
powerful. Prayer conquers evil. Prayer draws us closer to God, who is
Almighty. … Secondly, work for peace. And peace is not a document
that is signed and stays there. Peace is made every day! Peace is a
craft, it is made by hand, with one's own life. But some may say,
'Tell me, Father, how can I be an artisan of peace?'. First: never
hate. If someone harms you, try to forgive. No hatred! Forgiveness!
Let us say this together: No hatred! Forgiveness! If you do not have
hatred in your heart, if you forgive, you will be victorious, because
you will be victorious in the most difficult battled of life:
victorious in love. And through love comes peace”.

“Do you want to be defeated, or do
you want to win in life?” asked the Pope. “You can win only by
taking the path of love. The path of love. And can you love your
enemy? Yes. Can you forgive those who have wronged you? Yes. In this
way, with love and forgiveness, you will be victorious. With love,
you will be victorious in life and will always give life. Love will
never let you be defeated”.

The following is the discourse prepared
by Pope Francis:

“Dear Young Friends, good evening! It
is a great joy for me to be here with you this evening, as we enter
upon a new liturgical year with the beginning of Advent. Is this not,
for each one of us, an occasion to begin anew, a chance to 'go across
to the other side?'.

“During this, our meeting, I will be
able to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with some of you. I
encourage each of you to reflect on the grandeur of this sacrament,
in which God comes to meet us personally. Whenever we ask, He comes
to us and helps us to 'go across to the other side', to that side of
our life where God forgives us and bathes us in His love which heals,
soothes and raises up! The Jubilee of Mercy, which I just opened
particularly for you, dear Central African and African friends,
rightly reminds us that God is waiting for us, with arms wide open,
as we see in the beautiful image of the Father who welcomes the
prodigal son.

“The forgiveness which we receive
comforts us and enables us to make a new start, with trusting and
serene hearts, better able to live in harmony with ourselves, with
God and with others. The forgiveness which we receive enables us in
turn to forgive others. There is always a need for this, especially
in times of conflict and violence, as you know all too well. I renew
my closeness to all those among you who are have experienced sorrow,
separation and the wounds inflicted by hatred and war. In such
situations, forgiving those who have done us harm is, humanly
speaking, extremely difficult. But God offers us the strength and the
courage to become those artisans of reconciliation and peace which
your country greatly needs. The Christian, as a disciple of Christ,
walks in the footsteps of his Master, who on the Cross asked His
Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. How far is this
sentiment from those which too often reign in our hearts! Meditating
on the attitude and the words of Jesus, 'Father, forgive them', can
help to turn our gaze and convert our heart.

“For many people, it is a scandal
that God came to be one of us. It is a scandal that He died on a
cross. Yes, it is scandalous: the scandal of the cross. The cross
continues to scandalise. Yet it remains the one sure way: the way of
the cross, the way of Jesus Who came to share our life and to save us
from sin. Dear friends, this cross speaks to us of the closeness of
God: He is with us, He is with each one of you, in your joys and in
your trials.

“Dear young people, the most precious
good which we can have in this life is our relationship with God. Are
you convinced of this? Are you aware of the inestimable value that
you have in God’s eyes? Do you know that you are loved and accepted
by Him, unconditionally, as you are?. Devoting time to prayer and the
reading of Scripture, especially the Gospels, you will come to know
Him, and yourselves, ever better. Today too, Jesus’ counsels can
illumine your feelings and your decisions. You are enthusiastic and
generous, pursuing high ideals, searching for truth and beauty. I
encourage you to maintain an alert and critical spirit in the face of
every compromise which runs contrary to the Gospel message.

“Thank you for your creative
dynamism, which the Church greatly needs. Cultivate this! Be
witnesses to the joy of meeting Jesus. May He transform you,
strengthen your faith and help you to overcome every fear, so that
you may embrace ever more fully God’s loving plan for you! God
wills the happiness of every one of His children. Those who open
themselves to His gaze are freed from sin, from sorrow, from inner
emptiness and from isolation. Instead, they can see others as
brothers or sisters, accepting their differences and recognizing that
they are a gift for all of us.

“It is in this way that peace is
built, day by day. It calls for setting out on the path of service
and humility, and being attentive to the needs of others. To embrace
this mindset, we need to have a heart capable of bending low and
sharing life with those most in need. That is where true charity is
found. In this way solidarity grows, beginning with small gestures,
and the seeds of division disappear. In this way dialogue among
believers bears fruit, fraternity is lived day by day and it enlarges
the heart by opening up a future. In this way, you will be able to do
so much good for your country. I encourage you do so.

“Dear young friends, the Lord is
alive and He is walking at your side. When difficulties seem to
abound, when pain and sadness seem to prevail all around you, He does
not abandon you. He has left us the memorial of his love: the
Eucharist and the sacraments, to aid our progress along the way and
furnish the strength we need to daily move forward. This must be the
source of your hope and your courage as you 'go across to the other
side' with Jesus, opening new paths for yourselves and your
generation, for your families, for your country. I pray that you will
be filled with this hope. May you be ever anchored in it, so that you
can give it to others, to this world of ours so wounded by war and
conflicts, by evil and sin. Never forget: the Lord is with you. He
trusts you. He wants you to be missionary disciples, sustained in
times of difficulty and trial by the prayers of the Virgin Mary and
those of the entire Church. Dear young people of Central Africa, go
forth! I am sending you out!”.

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS) -
“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. We must therefore
consider ourselves and conduct ourselves as such. We are well aware
that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your
country were not grounded in properly religious motives. Those who
claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace”. The
Holy Father addressed these words to the Muslim community of the
Central African Republic this morning in the mosque of Koudoukou, a
few kilometres from Bangui. Francis was received by five imams who
accompanied him to the podium situated in the mosque, a short
distance away from the area reserved for prayer. The event was
attended by around two hundred people.

“Christians, Muslims and members of
the traditional religions have lived together in peace for many
years”, he continued. “They ought, therefore, to remain united in
working for an end to every act which, from whatever side, disfigures
the Face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular
interests by any and all means, to the detriment of the common good.
Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence,
particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a
religion or of God himself. God is peace, salam”.

Francis emphasised the important role
played by Christian and Muslim leaders in re-establishing harmony and
fraternity among all, and expressed his gratitude and appreciation.
“We can also call to mind the many acts of solidarity which
Christians and Muslims have shown with regard to their fellow
citizens of other religious confessions, by welcoming them and
defending them during this latest crisis in your country, as well as
in other parts of the world”.

He added, “We cannot fail to express
hope that the forthcoming national consultations will provide the
country with leaders capable of bringing Central Africans together,
thus becoming symbols of national unity rather than merely
representatives of one faction or another. I strongly urge you to
make your country a welcoming home for all its children, regardless
of their ethnic origin, political affiliation or religious
confession. The Central African Republic, situated in the heart of
Africa, with the cooperation of all her sons and daughters, will then
prove a stimulus in this regard to the entire continent. It will
prove a positive influence and help extinguish the smouldering
tensions which prevent Africans from benefiting from that development
which they deserve and to which they have a right”.

He concluded by inviting those present
to “pray and work for reconciliation, fraternity and solidarity
among all people, without forgetting those who have suffered the most
as a result of recent events”.

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS) –
Tens of thousands of people participated in the final act of the Holy
Father's apostolic trip in Africa: the Holy Mass celebrated in the
Barthelemy Boganda sports complex in Bangui. Those unable to enter
followed the event on the maxi screens installed outside the stadium.
In his homily, the Pope invited Central Africans to be artisans of
the human and spiritual renewal of the country, at a time of
difficulties and suffering, passing over to the “other side”
which is Christ Who transforms the reality of our present life.

“We might be astonished, listening to
this morning’s first reading, by the enthusiasm and missionary
drive of St. Paul. 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news!'. These words inspire us to give thanks for the gift of
the faith which we have received. They also inspire us to reflect
with amazement on the great missionary effort which – not long ago
– first brought the joy of the Gospel to this beloved land of
Central Africa. It is good, especially in times of difficulty, trials
and suffering, when the future is uncertain and we feel weary and
apprehensive, to come together before the Lord. To come together, as
we do today, to rejoice in His presence and in the new life and the
salvation which He offers us. For He invites us to cross over to
another shore.

“This other shore is, of course,
eternal life, heaven, which awaits us. Looking towards the world to
come has always been a source of strength for Christians, of the
poor, of the least, on their earthly pilgrimage. Eternal life is not
an illusion; it is not a flight from the world. It is a powerful
reality which calls out to us and challenges us to persevere in faith
and love. But the more immediate other shore, which we are trying to
reach, this salvation secured by the faith of which St. Paul speaks,
is a reality which even now is transforming our lives and the world
around us. 'Faith in the heart leads to justification'. Those who
believe receive the very life of Christ, which enables them to love
God and their brothers and sisters in a new way and to bring to birth
a world renewed by love”.

The Pope urged those present to thank
the Lord “for His presence and for the strength which He gives us
in our daily lives, at those times when we experience physical and
spiritual suffering, pain, and grief. Let us thank Him for the acts
of solidarity and generosity which He inspires in us, for the joy and
love with which He fills our families and our communities, despite
the suffering and violence we sometimes experience, and our fears for
the future. Let us thank Him for His gift of courage, which inspires
us to forge bonds of friendship, to dialogue with those who are
different than ourselves, to forgive those who have wronged us, and
to work to build a more just and fraternal society in which no one is
abandoned. In all these things, the Risen Christ takes us by the hand
and guides us. I join you in thanking the Lord in His mercy for all
the beautiful, generous and courageous things He has enabled you to
accomplish in your families and communities during these eventful
years in the life of your country.

“Yet the fact is that we have not yet
reached our destination”, he continued. “In a certain sense we
are in midstream, needing the courage to decide, with renewed
missionary zeal, to pass to the other shore. All the baptised need to
continually break with the remnants of the old Adam, the man of sin,
ever ready to rise up again at the prompting of the devil. How often
this happens in our world and in these times of conflict, hate and
war! How easy it is to be led into selfishness, distrust, violence,
destructiveness, vengeance, indifference to and exploitation of those
who are most vulnerable.

“We know that our Christian
communities, called to holiness, still have a long way to go.
Certainly we need to beg the Lord’s forgiveness for our all too
frequent reluctance and hesitation in bearing witness to the Gospel.
May the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which has just begun in your country,
be an occasion to do so. Dear Central Africans, may you look to the
future and, strengthened by the distance you have already come,
resolutely determine to begin a new chapter in the Christian history
of your country, to set out towards new horizons, to put out into the
deep. The Apostle Andrew, with his brother Peter, did not hesitate to
leave everything at Christ’s call: 'Immediately they left their
nets and followed him'. Once again, we are amazed at the great
enthusiasm of the Apostles. Christ drew them so closely to Himself,
that they felt able to do everything and to risk everything with Him.

“Each of us, in his or her heart, can
ask the crucial question of where we stand with Jesus, asking what we
have already accepted – or refused to accept – in responding to
his call to follow him more closely. The cry of 'those who bring good
news' resounds all the more in our ears, precisely when times are
difficult; that cry which 'goes out through all the earth ... to the
ends of the earth'. And it resounds here, today, in this land of
Central Africa. It resounds in our hearts, our families, our
parishes, wherever we live. It invites us to persevere in enthusiasm
for mission, for that mission which needs new 'bearers of good news',
ever more numerous, generous, joyful and holy. We are all called to
be, each of us, these messengers whom our brothers and sisters of
every ethnic group, religion and culture, await, often without
knowing it. For how can our brothers and sisters believe in Christ –
Saint Paul asks – if the Word is neither proclaimed nor heard?

“We too, like the Apostles, need to
be full of hope and enthusiasm for the future. The other shore is at
hand, and Jesus is crossing the river with us. He is risen from the
dead; henceforth the trials and sufferings which we experience are
always opportunities opening up to a new future, provided we are
willing to follow Him. Christians of Central Africa, each of you is
called to be, through perseverance in faith and missionary
commitment, artisans of the human and spiritual renewal of your
country”.

Pope Francis ended his homily by asking
the Virgin Mary, “who by sharing in the Passion of her Son, now
shares in his perfect joy”, for her protection and encouragement on
this path of hope”.

Following Mass and before giving his
blessing, the Pope mentioned that today is the feast day of St.
Andrew and, from the heart of Africa, he greeted his “dear
brother”, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomaios
I, expressing his wishes for joy and fraternity, and asking the Lord
to bless these two sister Churches.

From the Barthelemy Boganda stadium,
the Holy Father transferred by popemobile to the M'Poko airport where
he boarded the aircraft for his return flight to Rome, expected to
land around 6.45 p.m.

Vatican City, 30 November 2015 (VIS) –
As is customary on the feast day of St. Andrew, patron of the
ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople, a Holy See delegation led
by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, travelled to Istanbul to participate in
the celebration. The Holy See and the Patriarchate exchange regular
annual visits for the feast days of their respective patrons: the
Patriarchate sends a delegation to Rome on 29 June, the feast day of
the apostles Sts. Peter and Paul, every year.

The delegation participated in the
Divine Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Bartholomaois I in the
patriarchal church of St. George of Phanar, then met with the synodal
commission which oversees relations with the Catholic Church, and
delivered a message from the Holy Father, read at the end of the
Divine Liturgy.

In the text, Francis recalls in
particular the fiftieth anniversary of the of the Joint
Catholic-Orthodox Declaration of Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras I which expressed the decision to eliminate the
mutual excommunications of 1054. “The memory of the mutual
sentences of excommunication, together with the offensive words,
groundless reproaches, and reprehensible gestures on both sides,
which accompanied the sad events of this period, represented for many
centuries an obstacle to rapprochement in charity between Catholics
and Orthodox. Attentive to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
prayed to the Father on the eve of his Passion that his disciples
'may be one', Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I consigned
these painful memories to oblivion. Since then, the logic of
antagonism, mistrust and hostility that had been symbolised by the
mutual excommunications has been replaced by the logic of love and
brotherhood, represented by our fraternal embrace.

“While not all differences between
the Catholic and Orthodox Churches were brought to an end, there now
existed the conditions necessary to journey towards re-establishing
the 'full communion of faith, fraternal accord and sacramental life
which existed among them during the first thousand years of the life
of the Church'. Having restored a relationship of love and
fraternity, in a spirit of mutual trust, respect and charity, there
is no longer any impediment to Eucharistic communion which cannot be
overcome through prayer, the purification of hearts, dialogue and the
affirmation of truth. Indeed, where there is love in the life of the
Church, its source and fulfilment is always to be found in
Eucharistic love. So too the symbol of the fraternal embrace finds
its most profound truth in the embrace of peace exchanged in the
Eucharistic celebration.

“In order to progress on our journey
towards the full communion for which we long, we need continually to
draw inspiration from the gesture of reconciliation and peace by our
venerable predecessors Paul VI and Athenagoras I. At all levels and
in every context of Church life, relations between Catholics and
Orthodox must increasingly reflect the logic of love that leaves no
room for the spirit of rivalry. Theological dialogue itself,
sustained by mutual charity, must continue to examine carefully the
questions which divide us, aiming always at deepening our shared
understanding of revealed truth. Motivated by God’s love, we must
together offer the world a credible and effective witness to Christ’s
message of reconciliation and salvation.

“The world today has great need of
reconciliation, particularly in light of so much blood which has been
shed in recent terrorist attacks. May we accompany the victims with
our prayers, and renew our commitment to lasting peace by promoting
dialogue between religious traditions, for 'indifference and mutual
ignorance can only lead to mistrust and unfortunately even conflict'.

“I wish to express my deep
appreciation for Your Holiness’ fervent commitment to the critical
issue of care for creation, for which your sensitivity and awareness
is an exemplary witness for Catholics. I believe that it is a hopeful
sign for Catholics and Orthodox that we now celebrate together an
annual Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September,
following the long-standing practice of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
In this regard, I assure you of my prayers for the important
international meeting on the environment to be held in Paris at which
you will participate.

“Your Holiness, it is incumbent upon
humanity to rediscover the mystery of mercy, 'the bridge that
connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved
forever despite our sinfulness'. For this reason I have called for an
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, a favourable time to contemplate the
Father’s mercy revealed fully in his Son, Jesus Christ, and to
become ourselves an effective sign of God’s love through our mutual
pardon and works of mercy. It is providential that the anniversary of
that historic Joint Catholic-Orthodox Declaration concerning the
removal of the excommunications of 1054 occurs on the eve of the Year
of Mercy. Following Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I,
Catholics and Orthodox today must ask pardon of God and one another
for divisions that Christians have brought about in the Body of
Christ. I ask you and all the faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
to pray that this Extraordinary Jubilee may bear the spiritual fruits
for which we yearn. I willingly assure you of my prayers for the
events that your Church will celebrate in the year to come,
especially the Pan-Orthodox Great Synod. May this important occasion
for all the Orthodox Churches be a source of abundant blessings for
the life of the Church”, concluded the Holy Father.

- Msgr. Jure Bogdan as military
ordinary for Croatia. The bishop-elect was born in Donji Dolac,
Croatia in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1980. He holds a
doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University and has
served in a number of pastoral roles in the archdiocese of
Split-Makarska, Croatia, including parish vicar and spiritual father
of the archdiocesan minor seminary. He is currently rector of the
Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome in Rome. He succeeds Bishop
Juraj Jezerinac, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
military ordinariate upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the
Holy Father.

- Fr. Vincent Kirabo as bishop of Hoima
(area 17,200, population 2,084214, Catholics 1,075,812, priests 131,
religious 130), Uganda. The bishop-elect was born in Kyanaisoke,
Uganda in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1979. He holds a master's
degree in education from the University of Portland, United States of
America, and a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical
Urbanian University, Rome. He has served in a number of roles in the
diocese of Hoima, including teacher and rector of the minor seminary,
director of the diocesan commission for vocations, parish vicar,
diocesan administrator for finance, parish priest, and teacher and
bursar at the Uganda Martyrs National Minor Seminary Alokolum, Gulu.
He is currently a teacher at the St. Mary's National Major Seminary
Ggaba, Kampala.